Game 27: For the sweep (+ chat!)

Two games into the series, the Yankees have two wins. It’s their eighth series win in nine tries, something only two other Yankee teams in history can claim (1928 & 1938). Yes, it’s been 71 years since the Yanks have won eighth of their first nine series. Cool stuff, huh?

On the mound to try for the sweep this afternoon is Andy Pettitte, who took a little bit of a beating at the hands of the White Sox last time out, but has been stellar overall. Mariano Rivera is available to close the door in the 9th if needed, but Joe Girardi indicated that he would like to play it safe and give him another day if at all possible. Joba Chamberlain is unavailable to close after working the last two nights. My guess is that if push comes to shove late, Al Aceves will work the 9th.

Get away day for the Orioles, who have to be in Minnesota for a series starting tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm ET and can be seen on YES. I’m holding our weekly game chat today, so join in when the party starts at 1pm. Enjoy the game, chat’s after the jump.

Typically I’d be worried about the regression that Andy’s due for, but since it’s Baltimore I could give a shit less. Fuck the Os. Glad to see Frankie get some playing time, though.

Jammy Jammers

Watch out! This guy’s edgy!

Klemy

Edgy is no match for gritty and gutty.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Andy likes facing the Orioles. Break out the brooms.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Let’s make this 27-6. Woo.

Doug

Adam Jones scratched

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

Yea Pettitte

charles poet

Has to be the Ron Jeremy stache

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

NICK THE STICK!!!!!!

nathan

Something is wrong with MB game day, its showing that Nicky J had an XBH..

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

I know, I’m scared too.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

I was in shock simply at seeing “In Play”

http://mystiqueandaura.com/ pete

dammit derek

charles poet

Cano has to have the strongest arm of any second baseman in the majors.

ecksodia

Dang. When are Tex and A-Rod going to get hot? (I hope I am proved laughably wrong to ‘question’ their abilities in the upcoming days)

Guest

Go, New York Nicks!

ecksodia

Last year I thought it was awesome that Swish’s numbers were pretty good despite being a lackluster hitter compared to his road self. So far, so good – slow starts by our free agent pickups (Granderson, Javy) have been balanced out by some hot starts (Cano, Swish to an extent, Hughes/AJ/Andy, and CC being incredibly solid).

whozat

wehat’s the on-field delay?

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Orioles pitching coach ejected. He was arguing a little.

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

O’s pitching coach got tossed

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Come on A-Rod, time to bust out.

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

Why would Nick Johnson try to score from second?

Jammy Jammers

He was inspired by Jamie Moyer’s terrible base running the other night.

Dalelama

Poor NJ hits a homer then promptly takes a run away…needs to learn when you slide you are supposed to touch base with lead foot… Poor base running

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Nick Johnson did something not optimal so DALELAAAAAAMA’S HERE!

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

/Dalelama’d

Wait, it’s actually Dalelama!!!!

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

I’m surprised he called him “Poor NJ” and not like “Useless, non-warrior, tender tissue NJ”

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

You know what, you’re right. For the first time in baseball history a runner was thrown out at the plate. I’m sure it will be the lead on SportsCenter. I never knew it was even possible.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Yes-Mo > the current state of umpiring. That’s just sad.

http://twitter.com/marcos_aguirre Marcos

I don’t know if it’s just me, but umpiring has been getting consistently worse recently (past 2-3 years) or maybe I’m just becoming more aware that they’ve always been horrible.

Jose

Wally Matthews chat going on right now. I dropped a few questions for him.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

“Why are you so dumb?”

Jose

He only approves certain questions, I wish I could get that in. I got a lazy Cano reference in though.

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

Did anyone who’s watching the YES feed see what the quiz question was? I missed it.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

C’mon Andrew.

Jammy Jammers

No runs! No runs!

Jammy Jammers

Wooo!

dkidd

our home-grown adonis >>>>>>>>> orioles home-grown adonis

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

He really is an Adonis but aaaagh. Okay, Andy, get the next guy.

dkidd

gardner at-bats are becoming must-watch tv

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

Hey all, just got back from a review session for my final tomorrow.
How is the team looking? Saw that Nicky J had a homerun in the 1st, good news.

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

What the hell? I am getting one of the required Required Monthly Test of the Emergency Alert system… god damn it Time Warner

Jammy Jammers

I get it on XM/Sirius radio all the time.

Jammy Jammers

Not sure why I thought that was interesting enough to type out and hit ‘submit’.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

I got that earlier. It was SO LOUD!

Jammy Jammers

Another opposing starting pitcher bites the dust.

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

Love when Tex drives the ball to RCF… 6-1 Yanks

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

I totally thought that was gonna be an eeeeeasy catch, actually. Glad to be wrong. ;)

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

That IBB to A-Rod worked, but it was still stupid.

dkidd

hendrickson used to play for the new jersey nets

Jammy Jammers

Why did they intentionally walk a runner into scoring position for the hottest hitter in MLB?

Jammy Jammers

oh that’s why. (sad trumpet sound)

dkidd

kay: do you tweet at all, al?
leiter: no

dead air…

mike c

they were just saying on 880 that joba was talking about how he finds the 9th inning easier to pitch than the 8th. b-jobbers will be working themselves into a lather

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Mariano to teh 8th!!11!!!1!!!

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Oh Andy. BE OKAY. BE OKAY. BE OKAY.

FIPster Doofus

I’m scared. Only 77 pitches.

mike c

he looked okay…

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

Just read a thing on ESPN about ‘unwritten rules’ of baseball and the interviewed Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven and Gossage. They asked questions like what do you do if a hitter leans in to get hit by a pitch on purpose. Gossage’s response?

“I threw so hard that people never played many games like that with me. It just didn’t happen — because you’d get killed.”

Love it

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

I like Mitre, I just hate his number. It brings back bad memories of Pavano.

red5993

what happened to pettitte?

Jammy Jammers

He played for Houston a few years, but now he’s back.

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

Nick Johnson! Look at him actually looking like a baseball player

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

Hope they give David Robertson a inning to work some kinks out, especially if we have a big lead. I think he’s our best reliever stuffwise outside of Mo/Joba.

http://yanksgoyard.com Andy_C_23

What about Ace?

V

Eh, Ace is, quite frankly, a junkballer. A good one, but he doesn’t have what you call ‘stuff’.

FIPster Doofus

Excellent inning by Mitre. Well done.

dkidd

it’s pronounced JAG-war!!!

Hangoverologist

Hey all. I just got home. Can somebody give me a rundown of what has happened during this game? Thanks will be spread around.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

solo HRs by NJ and Swisher, Tex had a two-run double, A-Rod had an RBI hit, Pettitte was doing pretty good (getting lots of ground balls) but he was pulled after 5 with a pitch count of 77 so now I am trying to stop myself from sobbing. No updates, though. Hopefully Girardi just wanted guys to get work in.

Yes, the Yankees don’t have a major league ready guy at every position in AAA. If they did, they’d trade them to make the big league club better.

Double G

Yeah, on the radio they were mentioning that much of the pen hasn’t worked in a while so it could just be that Girardi is giving his aged starter rest while allowing his pen to get some work before heading to Boston. *fingers crossed*

Hangoverologist

Wow, Mitre is cruising. Anybody think he’ll finish up and get a five inning save for AP?

Hangoverologist

…Nevermind.

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

zomg u teh jinx!!!!

CS Yankee

You mean four, right?

Evan NYC

How is Julio Lugo a $10M/year player?

CS Yankee

Theo-ville

CS Yankee

…you know the place where all things good happen in the draft and free agent signings are deemed great for humanity.

A place where Mo, Nomar, Lugo, et al have been removed since they don’t play the Red Sox way anymore.

/MSM’d

Pat

With AP getting an extra days rest before his next start anyway, taking him out after 77 to rest him is a little fishy.

::fingers crossed::

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

Ugh, dammit. This doesn’t need to get interesting.

WIlliam

Damn, Mitre now has a line worthy of Mitre.

dkidd

damaso just made a good hitter look silly

Hangoverologist

/Utley and Howard’d

http://twitter.com/rebexarama bexarama

there are so many great memories of the 2009 World Series but one of my favorite was when Damaso K’d Utley on three pitches with two men on base. Just beautiful. And then Utley swung and missed at the last one and sort of shuffled his feet around in the dirt like “What, it wasn’t me.” (Utley actually does that quite a bit when he’s batting, I just thought that was funny.)

CS Yankee

Meat-tray will make Mo earn his pay in the 9th, ehh?

Total Domination (The Commenter Formerly Known as Ben)

i would think theyre gonna leave Robertson in, or bring in Ace

CS Yankee

Drob pitch count limit is 6 though.

dkidd

let d-rob finish

Rob Has No Innings Limit

I know Marte’s supposed to be the lefty guy… but it’s 6-3, he just made Markakis look bad, and isn’t Marte supposed to be a guy who can get lefties and righties out? What’s the sense in burning Robertson here just to match up? Come on, Joe, the micromanaging of the bullpen is worse than my dad’s itineraries on family vacations.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

So the guy who thought Mitre should replace Javy because of 7.1 scoreless innings, where’s he at?

ROBTEN aka don’t call me Dr. Robert Matthew Tennyson II, Esq.

Fun Fact: Over his career, Marte has shown that he’s not only good at getting left-handers out, but right-handers as well.